Health Outcomes Between Indigenous And Non Indigenous Women

The health of Aboriginal people in Canada is both a tragedy and a crisis (Aboriginal Affairs and North Development Canada, 2010). Aboriginals have a higher rate of death among aboriginal babies, twice the national average, higher rate of Infectious diseases example gastrointestinal infections to tuberculosis, and chronic and degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart disease are affecting more aboriginal people than they once did (AANDC, 2010). Availability of important medical facility is not enough to accommodate the growing medical needs of Aboriginals. A socioeconomic and cultural issue also hinders the access of aboriginals to access health care in the community.

The Indigenous health workforce (doctors, nurses etc.) remains disproportionately low when compared to the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders that make up the Australian population.

There has been some major improvement in the health and wellbeing of Indigenous people in the past years, there is still some health issues that remain a problem in the indigenous community which still increase the percentage of mortality and morbidity among the group. As of June 30, 2011, there was an estimated 669,900 Indigenous people across Australia which represent the 3% of total Australian population, where the majority of indigenous Australian live in metropolitan or regional and 8% lives in remote areas of Australia according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (2013). The death rates for indigenous population are much higher compare to non-indigenous population across all age group and largest contributory cause of death are circulatory diseases (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011).

Inequality in health is one of the most controversial topics within Australian Health Care. Inequality in relation to health is defined as being “differences in health status or in the distribution of health determinants between different population groups” (World Health Organization, 2012). Within Australia inequality affects a wide range of population groups; however Indigenous Australians are most widely affected therefore this paper will focus on how inequality has impacted their health. Research shows that Australia’s Indigenous people suffer from a multitude of social and economic inequalities such as inadequate access to nutritious food and health care, being socially and

“The status of Indigenous health in contemporary Australia is a result of historic factors as well as contemporary socio-economic issues” (Hampton & Toombs, 2013, p. 1).

C. (2009). Is ‘Close the Gap useful approach to improving the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians?. Australian Review of Public Affairs, 9(2), 1-13.

This paper will examine the healthcare of Indigenous Australian peoples compared to non-indigenous Australians. The life expectancy gaps between the two are a cause for alarm when statistics show Indigenous Australian peoples die on average 17 years earlier than non-indigenous Australians (Dick 2017). This paper will examine the social determinants of health to explore these factors and what interventions are in place to improve health status and life expectancy gaps for equality. The Federal Government has seen the implementation of the Northern Territory Intervention and the Closing the Gap Initiative. This essay will examine these two strategies and discuss the effectiveness of both policies. It will explain the differences, similarities and look at the success so far to

As health professionals, we must look beyond individual attributes of Indigenous Australians to gain a greater understanding and a possible explanation of why there are such high rates of ill health issues such as alcoholism, depression, abuse, shorter life expectancy and higher prevalence of diseases including diabetes, heart disease and obesity in our indigenous population. Looking at just the individual aspects and the biomedical health model, we don’t get the context of Aboriginal health. This is why we need to explore in further detail what events could have created such inequities in Aboriginal health. Other details that we should consider are the historical and cultural factors such as, ‘terra nullius’, dispossession and social

What might explain these statistics, or at least serve as correlations, are the determinants of health. If the reader is not familiar with the determinants of health, the World Health Organisation (WHO) provides an explanation of them. In essence, these health determinants are factors that have significant impact upon one’s health. The main determinants for health are: socioeconomic status, where the rich and upper classes tend to be healthier; education, where low education is linked to stress, lower self-esteem and poorer health choices; environment, where purer air, cleaner water, healthier workplaces and better housing contribute to being healthier; health services, where access to services and proper equipment all contribute to health; as well as gender, genetics, culture and social behaviour (WHO, 2016). As there are so health determinants, where essays can be written on one alone, it is not within the scope of this essay to critically analyse each determinant for Indigenous Australians. With this in mind, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2014) documents an extensive list of data for Indigenous health, most of which discusses issues which are out-of-scope for this analysis. What is relevant, however, is outlined next. Across the board, in 2011, the Indigenous population was younger than the non-Indigenous population due to high fertility and mortality rates with those

The inequalities in today’s indigenous communities are still strongly evident. Heard, Khoo & Birrell (2009), argued that while there has been an attempt in narrowing the gap between Indigenous and non Indigenous Australians, a barrier still exists in appropriate health care reaching indigenous people. The Indigenous people believe, health is more than the individual, it is

This report has been produced to evaluate a community-based program known as ‘Waminda’, the South Coast Women’s health and Welfare Aboriginal Corporation, running in the Shoalhaven community. This Indigenous Australian organisation works to address the Indigenous Australian health needs of women in the Shoalhaven area. This report provides insight into the prominent health and welfare issues for Indigenous Australian women and the challenges in accessing the necessary healthcare. The elements of this report include the background where the aims and objectives of Waminda are outlined, a section of literature review on ‘Indigenous Australian women’s health’ where the major health issues Aboriginal women face are analysesd,

Colonialism in Australia places a detrimental threat to the health of Indigenous Australians. Inherent in colonialism were scientific racisms, institutional racism and structural violence. These factors continues to persist in the fabric of Australian society today and limits the life chances of Indigenous Australians. This essay illuminates colonialism as a major contributor to the social marginalisation and low socioeconomic status experienced by indigenous Australian. An analysis of Aboriginal infant mortality rate, a health indicator highlights the difference between biomedical and sociological approach and the embedded negative impact of social marginalisation and low socioeconomic status on the health of Indigenous Australians. The

It is truly said that improving health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is the longstanding challenge for the Government (Australian Human Rights Commission 2007). Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders experience poor health, they are more prone to get cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, physical inactivity and obesity as compared to non-indigenous Australians (Department of Health and Ageing 2012, p. 6). The gap between the health status of indigenous and non-indigenous people is relatively high, therefore it has been identified as a concern for the community and the Government (Australia’s Health 2014). Social determinants play an important role for the community, for both indigenous and non-indigenous population (Australian

This paper has assessed the historical context and manifestations of health inequities of indigenous peoples and ethnic and cultural minorities. Literatures have shown that on most accounts, these groups suffer from hugely disparate health outcomes in comparison to non-indigenous or majority societies. Indigenous, ethnic or cultural rights to health can be achieved when the following benchmarks are incorporated in to the policies.

In 2002, Hunt released a discussion paper aimed at improving antenatal care protocols and practice in the Northern Territory (NT) in Australia [17]. Hunt advised that antenatal visits should be longer and fewer, thus more likely to be comprehensive and thorough, and provided in a much more flexible woman-centered manner, one that is specific for every NT woman, with no generalizations or assumptions. Daruk Aboriginal Community Controlled Medical Service in New South Wales (NSW) also managed to achieve earlier antenatal care attendance and increased visits by pregnant women through their comprehensive primary health care program incorporating inclusive antenatal care services (home visiting, transport, ultrasound screening and postnatal care) [18]. This example of the provision of comprehensive, high quality ANC should be carried out in many other Aboriginal communities. [19]. Conversely, as the majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples live in urban or inner regional areas and receive healthcare through mainstream services, it is